What has struck me most is the incredible stretch of history in this place. Of course, when you think about Peru, Machu Picchu and the Incas come to mind, but there were actually empires that predated that by thousands of years. In fact, Peru was home to the oldest known civilization on the American continents (the Carals, from 3000-2500 BC). More recently - like from 100 to 700 AD! - there were vast Moche & Nazca empires in the north and south of the country. With all this ancient history, the Incas are starting to seem quite recent to me.
These ancient civilizations shared a belief in a 3-part world: the world of above, represented by the Condor; the 'earthly' world where humans live, represented by the Puma; and the underworld, represented by the Snake.
The Sky - Condors evoked power and supreme authority. Here is a golden outfit that a warrior would have worn into battle, complete with bird nose to strike fear into the enemy.
When the Spanish brought Christianity to Peru, they often portrayed Christ wearing a tall feather headdress, as an Incan or pre-Incan emperor would have done. Again, feathers and birds were considered god-like.
The Earth - in indigenous cultures, it was represented by the Puma god. When the Spanish arrived in Peru and wanted to put an end to this idolatry, they created art that showed a tamed and domesticated puma. Rather than the puma ruling as a god, it was now man who had dominion over nature. To the Incas, this would have been shocking. Here is an example:
The Underworld - ancient peoples associated it not only with death, but also with fertility. Every year, they put seeds in the ground and saw them grow, so they believed the underworld must be a place of fecundity and procreation, as well as a place for the dead. This is why Moche art often depicts corpses masturbating or copulating. Here are some examples from the wonderful Larco Museum in Lima.
More installments soon!
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